Esa-Pekka SALONEN
Le Grand Macabre
Philharmonia Orchestra
London Sinfonietta Voices
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Nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Opera Recording
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 62312 - Available on CD |
Finale: Fire and death I bring wav (1,013k) | real audio |
Made under the composer's supervision, this world-premiere recording captures live performances of the 1997 version of György Ligeti's opera Le Grande Macabre at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet. Based on the theatre piece "La Balade du Grand Macabre" by Michel de Ghelderode, Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre is a surreal, darkly whimsical vision of a modern world -- much of the action is set in a place called Breughelland -- that is approaching apocalypse. The libretto is by the composer and Michael Meschke, the great puppet theater expert. The opera had its world premiere in Stockholm in 1978, but Ligeti made a number of revisions to the score over the next two decades. A final revised version had its premiere at the 1997 Salzburg Festival, in a production staged by Peter Sellars, which was later presented at the Theatre du Chatelet in February 1998, when this recording was made.
The cast features Laura Claycomb, soprano; Charlotte Hellekant and Jard van Ness, mezzo-sopranos; Derek Lee Ragin, countertenor; Graham Clark, tenor; Wilar White, bass-baritone; and Frode Olsen, bass.
The György Ligeti Edition is one of the most acclaimed contemporary series of recordings available. Made under the composer's and conductor's supervision, the series continues to receive accolades and awards. Piano Etudes (SK 62308) received the Gramophone Award for Best Contemporary Recording 1997 and Diapason D'Or 1997; Vocal Works (SK 62311) won Diapason D'Or 1997; and Chamber Music (SK 62309) received a 1998 Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music Performance.
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